Bicycle and gearing therefor.



No. 627,990. Patented JuIy'4 J. W. EISENHUTH.

BICYCLE AND GEARING THEREFOR. (Application filed Jan. 5, 1898. RenewedMay 22, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Sheet :No Model.)

C fi i x7 NVENTOR WITNESSES No. 627,990. Patented July 4, I899.

. J. W. EISENHUTH. Y

BICYCLE AND GEARING THEREFOR.

7 Application filed Jan. 5, 1898, Renewed May 22, 1899.)

3 Sheets- 8mm 2.

-'No Model.=

R O T N E V N WITNESSES m: NORRIS PETERS 00 PHoToumcL, wAsnmnTom n. c.

No. 627,990. Patented July 4, I899.

J. W. EISENHUTH.

BICYCLE AND GEARING THEREFOR.

- (Ayplica-tion filed Jan. 5, 159a. Renewed .M'a 22, 1899.) (No Model.)3 Sheets-8heet 3.

i ,4 WITNESSES 1C UNITED STATES ATENT Fries.

JOHN WASHINGTON EISENHUTH, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

BICYCLE AND GEARING THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 627,990, dated July 4,189 9.

Application filed January 5, 1898., Renewed May 22, 1899. Serial No.717,798. (No model.)

' EISENHUTH, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elcycles andGearing Therefor; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in bicycles and other vehicles, andhas relation more particularly to thegearing and runninggear thereof andmeans for controlling the same.

It consists in a bicycle having a changeable speed mechanism embracing ahub, a loose sleeve mounted in the axle, means for imparting motion tothe said sleeve, gearing interposed between the said sleeve and the hub,and means for moving the hub with respect to the axle for bringingthesaid gearing into and' outof engagement, whereby the speed of the hubmay be increased or diminished.

It further consists in a bicycle or similar vehicle having a suitablehub, a sleeve loosely mounted upon the axle, means for rotating thesame, a frictional cup upon the said sleeve adapted to engage acorresponding frictional surface upon the hub, gearing interposeddirectly between the said hub and the said sleeve, and means for movingthe hub for changing the speed.

It also consists in certain other novel constructions, combinations, andarrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of abicycle constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detailrear elevation of thesame. Fig. 3 represents a similar view showing alittle different arrangement of the'parts. Fig. 4 is a vertical centralsection through the hub of the wheel, which is provided with thespeedchanging mechanism. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken uponthe linel 1 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a sectional view through thehub of the wheel, showing the gearing interposed between the said huband the axle in side'elevation. Fig.7 represents a detail View 'thewheel 0.

the means of mounting the hand operatinglever which controls the speedmechanism. Fig. 13 is a detail view showing the operatinghandle mountedso as to extend interiorly of the bicycle-tubing. Fig. 14 represents avertical section through the hub, showing a slightly-differentarrangement of the speed mechanism. Fig. 15 represents a detailsectional view showing another means for opererating the speed-changingmechanism. Figs. 16'and 17 represent plan views of the camplates mountedtherein, and Fig. 18 represents a detail edge view of a portion of thesame.

In constructing my improved bicycle 1 contemplate mounting thespeed-changing mechanism in the hub of the rear or driving wheel, 'Arepresenting the said hub, B representing the frame of the bicycle, andC the rear Wheel. The rear axle b is rigidly secured in the frame 13 inany suitable manner, preferably by nuts engaging screw-threads formedupon the said axle. A sleeve, as a, is slipped upon the said axle, beinga little larger than the diameter thereof, and being provided at itsends with cups aa which are adapted to hold balls a a against cones a awhich are mounted upon the axle j ust'inside the frame 13. By this meansthe sleeve a is supported upon the axle by means of the ball-bearings.The cup a is formed withan inwardly-extendingffiange portion a, which isprovided upon its inner surface with a frictional bearin surfa'ceadapted to engage a corresponding surface a formed upon the hub A ofWhile the outer surface 'of the flange a may be provided with integralsprocket-teeth or with an integral cablegroove formed thereon, yet Ipreferto form threads upon the periphery of the said'flange a as at awhich are adapted to engage corresponding threads formed interiorly' ofa sprocket-wheel or a grooved pulley which may ICO be thus secured inplace upon the said flange a. By this means the sprocket-wheel or thepulley may be interchangeably put into place according as is desired touse a sprocket-chain or a cable for running the bicycle. Also thesprocket-wheels or pulleys of different sizes may be placed upon thesaid flange,according to the speed which it is desired to impart to thewheel.

In order to support the hub A upon the sleeve a on the sprocket side ofthe bicycle, I provide ball-bearings, as at a, adapted to run insuitable ball-races formed interiorly of the frictional flange a on thehub and upon the sleeve (1. Interiorly of the hub A is secured aninternal gear,'as D, which is adapted to be engaged by intermediatepinions d and d, which are mounted upon a stud-plate D, the saidstud-plate running free upon the sleeve ct. Motion is imparted to thesaid intermediate gears by means of a pinion d rigidly secured to thesleeve a. While I may employ any number of intermediate pinions, Iprefer to use, as shown in the drawings, two sets of the same, mountedupon the opposite sides of the stud-plate D. The pinions d d arepreferably mounted upon studs, as 61 d secured to the stud -plate D,ball-bearings (1 being interposed between the said pinions and the saidstuds to lessen the friction of the parts. The stud-plate D is alsoprovided with an annular flange d having an outer frictionalbearing-surface adapted to engage a corresponding frictionalbearing-surface upon a friction-cup E. The friction-cup E is mountedupon a sleeve 6, which is rigidly secured to an extended annular portionof the cone a The cup E is provided with a short hub portion, as e,which is adapted to slide longitudinally upon the said sleeve 6, thesaid sleeve being provided with one or more longitudinal slots 6 whichare engaged by one or more pins 6 secured to the said sleeve e. By thismeans the cup E is capable of longitudinal move ment upon the saidsleeve, but is forced to remain stationary therewith, so as not torevolve. An annular shoulder, as 6 is formed in the sleeve e, and acoil-spring, as e, is

interposed between the said shoulder and the said cup E, so that thesaid cup is normally forced away from the said shoulder and inengagement with a flange If. The cone a is provided with an annularflange adapted to extend considerably into the hub of the Wheel, thesaid flange having upon its inner surface a frictional bearingsurface,as f, which is adapted to engage a corresponding bearingsurface formedupon the annular flanged disk E, which is secured rigidly to the hub A,as at f. The disk F extends into the flange portion of the cone a forquite a distance and is provided with a vertical inwardly-extendingannular flangef forming a ball-race upon each side thereof interiorly ofthe said disk F. A-loose collar, as G, is mounted upon the stationarysleeve E and is provided with a groove, as g, adapted to hold balls inplace in the two ball-races formed by the flange f The collar G is alsoprovided at suitable intervals with pins, as g, which extend throughslots, as 9 formed in the flanged portion of the cone a. It will beapparent that by this construction the grooved collar G may havelongitudinal movement upon the sleeve e and with respect to the flangeof the cone a. In order to control the longitudinal movement of thisgrooved collar G, the pins G extend beyond the flange of the cone a andengage diagonal or inclined grooves, as g formed in an external collaror sleeve g mounted upon the outer surface of the flange of the cone 0,This collar is held in place by means of an annular shoulder formed uponthe said flange and a nut or washer g screwed upon the said cone afterthe said sleeve has been put in place. It will be readily seen from thisdescription that if the sleeve 9 be rotated the pins g, engaging theinclined slots therein, which force the grooved collar longitudinallywith respect to the axle of the wheel and the said grooved collar bymeans of the interposed ball-bearings, will move the disk F and the hubof the wheel A to a corresponding degree. The ball-bearings which engagethe disk F also serve as an an tifrictional support for this side of thehub. In order to carry the stud-plate D longitudinallywith the hub A,antifric tional rollers, as d", are mounted on the inner surface of thehub A and engage the outer edge of the stud-plate D when the said hub Ais forced toward the grooved pulley or sprocket-wheel. Thesprocket-wheel or grooved pulley, which is mounted upon the flange a, ispreferably of such a size with respect to the driving mechanism as toproduce the highest speed at which it is wished to propel the bicycle,so that when the flange a is held in engagement with the flange a of thehub of the wheel the wheel will be revolved at a high rate of speed.When the hub of the wheel has been thus forced longitudinally by meansof the grooved collar G to engage the flange 0, the rollers d will haveengaged the stud-plate D and separated the flange d from the cup E, sothat the stud-plate will run freely upon the sleeve (1-, and theinterposed gearing will have no effect upon the hub. At the same timethe brake-disk F will be moved away from the frictional surface f of thecone (2%. When it is desired to decrease the speed of the bicycle, thesleeve 9 is revolved by means which will behereinafter more fullydescribed, so as to move the collar G and draw the hub A toward the cupE. When the cup E engages the flange (F, the stud-plate D will be heldstationaryand the movement from the grooved pulley or sprocket-wheel,which is now free from the flange d will be actuated through theintermediate gearing d (1, d, and D. It will be apparent that by meansof the spring 6 the l cup E will engage the flange of the stud-platebefore the brake-disk F engages the flange of the cone-cup. This springe will also permi't of the hub being moved still farther toward the coneo so as to bring the brakedisk F into contact with the frictionalsurface 5 f. This may be regulated according to the desire of the rider,so as to merely decrease the speed of the Wheel slightly or to bringitto a full stop. 1

In order to facilitate the revolving of the sleeve 9 I provide the samewith a projecting stud g, which is provided with an aperture adapted tobe engaged by a bolt for securing the end of a link or rod h to the saidstud. The rod h extends upwardly toward the top of the frame and ispivotally secured to a bell-crank lever h, the said lever beingpivotally mounted to the frame just below the seat of the bicycle. Theother arm of the bell-crank lever h is pivotally connected to ahorizontal link h which runs forward to the head of the bicycle parallelwith the upper bar of the frame. The upper end of the link It isconnected to a lever 71 which is pivotally mounted on the frame just tothe rear of the head. This lever h is provided with a hand operatingportion, as 77, which extends into closeproximityto the guidinghandlesof the bicycle and is within easy reach of the rider. By moving thehandle h up or down, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the sleeveg may be caused to revolve upon the hub of the wheel and change thespeed thereof or bring the brakeinto action, as may be required. Ifpreferred, the upper connecting-link, as 71?, may be placed interiorlyof the upper tube of the bicycle-frame, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of thedrawings, and the hand operating-lever h may be pivoted so as to haveone end extended into the said upper tube, as illustrated in Fig. 13 ofthe drawings. It will be apparent that this change may be made in theconstruction without departing in the least from the spirit of myinvention.

In constructing a wheel of this character it is desirable not to have totighten the sprocket chain or cable by adjusting the rear wheel in theframe, and in order to accomplish this purpose easily and effectively Ihave conceived the idea of mounting the crank-axle in such a manner asto be able to tighten the chain at that end. As illustrated in Figs. 1,9, 10, and 11, it will be seen that the crankaxle J is mounted in aneccentric drum j, the said drum being held in place by a ring orsleevej, forming the crank-hangerproper of the frame. The axle J iseccentrica'lly mounted in the said drum upon ball-bearings, as j mountedin the inner eccentrically-arranged sleeve or drum j A socket, as f, isformed in the drum jand is adapted to be engaged by means of a wrench orlever j, which may be inserted therein through a slot 7' formed in thecrank-hanger]. This slot is made of sufficient length to permit of therequired adjustment to take up the slack in the cable or chain. When thecable or chain becomes slack, all that is necessary to take up such'slackness is to insert the lever j through the groove is adapted toreceive ball-bearings interposed between it and the sleeve is, formedupon the cone of the Wheel. The outer groove 9f the grooved portion 7ais adapted to receive ball-bearings, as It 10 which are interposedbetween the said brake-disk and an annular sleeve k The said sleeve isprovided with an internal inwardly extending flange k", which is adaptedto pass between the said ball-bearings, so that by moving the saidsleeve longitudinally with respect to the axle it will by means of theball-bearings k actuate the hub of the wheel to move it longitudinally,as above described. The annular sleeve 70 is provided with pins 10extending through the longitudinal slots formed in the flange of thecone and engaging a rotating collar 70, which corresponds to the collar9 above described and is provided with similar inclined grooves. Thecollar 10 is also adapted to be rotated by the same system of levers asabove described. In this construction a coil-spring, as M, is interposedbetween the brake-disk K and a loose disk,

as m,mounted upon the sleeve k. This sleeve tends to force thefrictional cup m into engagement with the frictional flange of thestud-plate m as above described. In order to permit the spring to becarried around with the brake-disk K in its revolution, anantifrictional bearing should be interposed between the loose disk m andthe frictional cup m. I prefer to use a loose disk provided withball-bearings, as m for this purpose.

I do not wish to be understood as being limited to the application of mychangeable speed mechanism to the rear axle of a bicycle, as it will beapparent that I could apply the same to the crank-axle without departingfrom the spirit of my invention. In adapting it thus to the crank-axleof a bicycle I would dispense with the means for tightening the chainabove described and would accomplish the same by adjusting the rearwheel in any suitable or desired manner.

As shown in Fig. at of the drawings,.the side of the hub farthest fromthe cable-pulley may be closed by .means of a washer O, which fitsaround the sleeve 9 This washer will serve to keep dust and dirt out ofthe hub and away from the frictional contacts.

As illustrated in Figs. 15, 16, 17, and 18, it will be apparent thatinstead of using a cam-collar, as 9 I may employ cam-plates havingcam-raised surfaces formed upon them surface 79 to move the frictionalsurfaces into and out of contact, according as it is desired to changethe speed of the vehicle. In this construction a cam-plate, as P, ismounted upon a sleeve, as p, the said sleeve being loosely mounted upona flange of the brake-cup. The collar 19 is preferably L-shaped incrosssection and has interposed between it and the brake-cuproller-bearings, as 1), so that the brake-cup may be free to revolvewith the hub without friction against the sleeve p. The cam-plate P isprovided with a projection or stud 19 which engages an aperture on thecup P, which is secured to one of the cones and is rigidly fixed uponthe axleof the bicycle. By means of this stud the plate P is heldagainst rotation with the hub of the wheel. The cam-plate P is providedwith a series of raised portions, forming cams, as 19 Another cam-plate,as P is also mounted on the collar 19 andis provided with raisedportions,

forming cam-surfaces, as at 19 The camsurface 19 is raised a little morethan the cam- A projection or arm, as 19 is formed upon the cam-plate Pand is adapted to be connected with a system of levers ex tending withinreach of the rider, as above described, by which the cam-plate may beoperated, as desired. It will be apparent that by rotating the cam-plateP with respect to the cam-plate P the corresponding raised so rface orcam portions of the cam-plates will be caused to engage each other andforce sleeve 9 above described.

the hub of the wheel laterally with respect to the axle, producing thesame result as the It will be evident that the cam-surface may beregulated to suit the needs of the device and that this form of myinvention also aifords a simple device for duce a very eifectivespeed-changing mechanism for a bicycle and one which can be readilychanged by the rider at any time, so that a high speed can be used uponlevel places and where desired and a lower speed can be instantlyavailable for climbing hills or other places where great power isneeded. It will also be apparent that the brake can be applied slightlyor with great power at an instants notice and that the speed of thewheel can thus be regulated exactly to suit the rider.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a changeable-speed mechanism forbicycles or similar vehicles, the combination with a hub, of a loosesleeve mounted upon the axle, means for imparting motion to the saidsleeve, gearing interposed between the said sleeve and the hub and meansfor movincreased or diminished as desired, substantially as described.

2. In abicycle or similar vehicle, the combination with a suitable hub,of a sleeve loosely mounted upon the axle, means for rotating the same,a frictional cup upon the said sleeve adapted to engage a correspondingfrictional surface upon the hub, gearing interposed directly between thesaid hub and the said sleeve and means for moving the hub for changingthe speed, substantially as described.

3. In a bicycle, the combination with a suitable hub of a sleeve looselymounted on the axle, ball-bearings interposed between said sleeve andthe axle,a frictional surface formed on the said sleeve, a correspondingfrictional surface mounted on the hub adapted to engage the saidfrictional surface on the sleeve, whereby the motion of the sleeve maybe communicated to the hub, intermediate gearing interposed between thesaid hub and the said sleeve and means for moving the hub for changingthe speed, substantially as described.

4. In a bicycle, the combination with a suitable hub, of a brake-platemounted interiorly thereof, and rigidly secured thereto, alongitudinally-moving collar engaging the said brake-plate for moving itbodily against a friction-cup, a friction-cup secured to the axle forbraking the wheel, and means for moving said collar longitudinally withrespect to the hub, substantially as described.

5. In a bicycle, the combination with a suitable hub, of a sleeveloosely mounted on the axle, means for rotating the same, a studplatealso loosely mounted on the said sleeve, intermediate gearing mountedupon the said stud-plate and engaging gearing upon the hub and upon thesaid sleeve, means for moving the hub for bringing the said studplateagainst a stationary part of the bicycle whereby the gearing will beadapted to communicate motion from the sleeve to the hub, substantiallyas described.

6. In a bicycle, the combination with a suitable hub, of a sleevemounted upon the axle, means for connecting the said hub and sleevetogether, means for rotating the said sleeve, a studplate looselymounted on the said sleeve and carrying intermediate gearing interposedbetween said hub and said sleeve, a frictional'cup secured to the axleof the wheel so as to revolve therewith but capable of longitudinalmovement thereon, a spring for holding the said cup normally against thestud-plate and means for moving the hub of the wheel longitudinally ofthe axle whereby the speed of the wheel may be changed as desired,substantially as described.

7. In a bicycle, the combination with a suit able hub, of a brake-disksecured to the said hub, 21. grooved sleeve mounted upon the frame,antifrictional bearings interposed between the said grooved sleeve andthe brake- I to disk and means for moving the said grooved sleevelongitudinally with respect to the axle whereby the brake-disk may bebrought into engagement with a portion of the frame as may be desired,substantially as described.

8. In abicycle, the combination with a suit able hub, of gearinginterposed between the same and an operating mechanism, a brakedisksecured to the said hub, a grooved plate mounted upon theframe,ball-bearings interposed between said grooved plate and said brake-disk,studs formed upon the said grooved plate and extending throughlongitudinal slots in a fixed portion of the hub, a

engage said studs, a system of links and le-- vers connected with thesaid sleeve and carried within easy reach of the rider whereby the samemay be rotated for changing the speed of the wheel, substantially asdescribed.

10. In a bicycle, the combination with a suitable hub, ofchangeable-speed mechanism interposed between the same and the source ofpower, a rotating sleeve connected with the speed-changing mechanismadapted to move the hub longitudinally with respect to the axle forchanging the speed, a link secured to the said sleeve at one end andconnected to a bell-crank lever at the other, another link alsoconnected to the said bell-crank lever and a hand operating-leverconnected to said link, whereby the rider may move the said links androtate the sleeve for changing the speed of the mechanism, substantiallyas described.

11. In a. bicycle, the combination with a suitable hub, of a sleeveloosely mounted on the axle, means for rotating the said sleeve, astud-plate also loosely mounted upon said sleeve, intermediate gearingmounted upon the said stud-plate for communicating motion from thesleeve to the hub, a non-revoluble friction member upon the axle, meansfor moving the said non-revoluble friction member against the saidstud-plate for holding it stationary, and antifrictional rollers mountedupon the said hub adapted to engage the said plate for disengaging itfrom the said friction member, substantially as described.

12. In a bicycle, the combination with a suitable hub, ofchangeable-speed mechanism mounted therein, a revolving sleeve or collaradapted to move the hub into and out ofengagement with the same, a studformed on the same collar, a link connected to the said stud at one endand pivotally secured to a bell-crank lever at the other end, abell-crank lever pivotally mounted on the frame, a link secured to saidbell-crank lever and carried toward the head of the bicycle, a handoperating-lever pivot-ally mounted within the head of the bicycle andsecured to the said link, the

construction being such that by operating the hand-lever, the saidrevolving sleeve may be rotated throughthe agency of the said links forchan gin gthe speed of the bicycle, substantially as described. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WASHINGTON EISENHUTH. Witnesses:

J. A. HILTON, J. W. PHILLIPS.

